News
GL flays govt. for bringing in laws to consolidate power, protect crooks
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Opposition spokesperson Prof. G. L. Peiris has alleged that two new laws that dealt with terrorism and corruption were meant to consolidate the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa regime.
The former External Affairs Minister discussed the government’s agenda pertaining to the proposed Anti-Terrorism Bill and Anti-Corruption Bill. He said the Anti-Corruption Bill was actually meant to protect those who had robbed the country, and thereby create a safer environment for them. On the other hand, the new law discouraged whistle blowers by warning of punitive action in case information provided by them didn’t yield expected results, the National List MP said. Those who risked their lives to expose corruption faced a 10-year prison term or Rs 1 mn penalty, the ex-minister said. How that could be acceptable, the Prof. asked.
Referring to the recent heavy deployment of the military, targeting the University of Colombo, Prof. Peiris, a former Vice Chancellor of the same university, said the government’s response to unverified possible threats indicated the developing situation and what could happen in case the government succeeded in enacting a new anti-terrorism law.
Prof. Peiris declared that the government was compelled to put off the vote on the Anti-Terrorism Bill due to growing protests, both in and outside Parliament. “Having perused the so-called anti-corruption bill, I could say it was a farce,” Prof. Peiris said, alleging the government quite conveniently had forgotten to deal with stolen money.
A group of 13 MPs including Prof. Peiris broke ranks with the ruling party over its decision to vote for UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe at the vote to elect a President, from among the MPs, to complete the remainder of Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s five-year term.
Prof. Peiris dismissed as ridiculous the government’s much-touted slogan ‘developed country by 2048’. “We have to overcome the current political-economic-social crisis. It would be impractical to make plans for 2048 when we are not sure whether the country can surmount still developing country,” Prof. Peiris said.
Prof. Peiris said that the government agenda was clear. While promising a new anti-corruption law, the government, for all intents and purposes, had crippled the Committee on Public Finance (CoPF). Contrary to Standing Orders, the government continued to deprive the Opposition of the chairmanship of the watchdog committee, Prof. Peiris said, drawing the attention of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to what he called actions contrary to the assurances given to them.
He, however, expressed confidence that the IMF delegation currently here, would look into all aspects as it was their responsibility, too, to ensure Sri Lanka subject itself to course correction.
During the course of the briefing, Prof. Peiris also pointed out how irresponsible the government had been, pertaining to a Bill, titled ‘Central Bank of Sri Lanka,’ and misinterpretation of the Supreme Court ruling. What could you expect when the SC found one-third of the Bill unconstitutional and the Attorney General was compelled to propose several dozens of amendments to make the Bill compatible with the Constitution, Prof. Peiris said, adding that due to Opposition protests the government put off the vote on that particular Bill. It was originally to be debated and vote on last week.
Declaring that a new wave of public protests was in the offing, Prof. Peiris said that that would be the result of economic difficulties caused by ill-fated and reckless decisions. Domestic debt restructuring would make matters worse, Prof. Peiris said, adding that during a recent meeting trade union representatives had with the visiting IMF delegation, they were told in no uncertain terms that it was a must. They were told that there wouldn’t be restructuring of external debt unless Sri Lanka undertook a local process, the former minister said.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed officials to complete work on the proposed Education Reform Policy Framework within one month.
The President issued these instructions during a discussion held on Wednesday (10 June) at the Presidential Secretariat on the education policy concept paper presented by the National Education Commission.
At the meeting, the Chairman of the National Education Commission stated that the current education reforms are being undertaken across several pillars: early childhood education, general education (primary, secondary and tertiary), higher education, vocational education, technological education, digital education and non-formal education.
Attention was also given to Sri Lanka’s education system to date, the various education reforms implemented over the years, and the social changes brought about by those reforms. The President instructed officials to review previous education reforms and to take into account the key lessons emerging from them when formulating the new education policy framework.
Members of the Education Commission noted that, since the establishment of the National Education Commission in 1991, education policies have been formulated from time to time. They pointed out that a significant portion of the 1997 policy had been applied to primary education.
It was further observed that although a policy was formulated in 2016 for general education, it was not implemented accordingly. Likewise, while an education policy was prepared in 2023, it was not adopted as the national education policy. Attention was also drawn to the fact that previous education reform efforts had often been based on programmes developed according to the functions of education-related institutions, rather than on a clearly established policy framework guiding educational change.
Describing the present moment as a significant opportunity, the President emphasised that education reforms should be implemented in a manner that does not disrupt the continuity of the existing education process. Rather than creating a separate policy framework and attempting to operate independently through it, reforms should be integrated carefully into the functioning education system.
The President stated that this represents a considerable challenge for the National Education Commission. He also noted that it would be inaccurate to conclude that either the previous education system or the current one is entirely successful or entirely unsuccessful.
He stressed the importance of carefully identifying both the strengths and weaknesses of the existing system. He further observed that it is not possible to determine in the short term whether an education reform is successful or unsuccessful, as its impact must be assessed over the long term through the changes it brings about in society. For this reason, he emphasised that education reforms require greater caution and consideration than many other types of reforms.
Discussions also focused on the need to conduct an in-depth review of anticipated future social challenges and to incorporate into the new policy framework the elements necessary for developing citizens suited to a changing society.
Special attention was given to the need for a policy framework to regulate all sectors of education that are currently not subject to proper regulation, as well as to the adverse consequences arising from the lack of regulation of private education.
The importance of conducting research into university education reform and the regulation of private universities was also discussed.
Among those present were Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya, Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr Madhura Seneviratne, Deputy Minister of Vocational Education Nalin Hewage, Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Kapila Janaka Bandara, Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education Nalaka Kaluwewa, Chairman of the National Education Commission Professor A. Sarath Ananda, and other members of the National Education Commission.
(PMD)
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the appointment of a Committee, chaired by Senior Presidential Advisor on Digital Economy Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, to conduct a strategic review and restructuring of SriLankan Airlines.
The other members of the committee are as follows:
• Senior Presidential Economic Advisor Duminda Hulangamuwa
• Financial and corporate strategy expert Deshal De Mel
• Transaction and investment banking, mergers and acquisitions expert Dumith Fernando
• The Secretary to the Ministry of Finance or his Representative
• The Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development / a representative of the Civil Aviation Authority
• The Chairman of SriLankan Airlines
• Legal experts with specialised knowledge in corporate, aviation and public law
• Aviation industry experts to be appointed
The Government has recognised the urgent priority of undertaking a comprehensive strategic review of SriLankan Airlines, taking into account the broader macroeconomic context.
The main objective of this exercise is to establish a financially sustainable and commercially efficient national carrier, while reducing the long-term fiscal burden on the Government.
Accordingly, it has been deemed appropriate to establish a dedicated committee to carry out the strategic review and restructuring process in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which is serving as the Transaction Advisor.
The committee will be responsible for:
• Conducting an independent review and assessment of the airline’s strategic direction and future course of action
• Recommending restructuring requirements and possible restructuring models
• Evaluating specific strategic options and identifying the most suitable course of action aligned with the Government’s overall objectives
• Providing oversight, guidance and support for the implementation of the selected strategy and execution framework determined by the Government
The committee will function for the duration of the strategic review and restructuring process, or until it is formally dissolved by the Government of Sri Lanka.
(PMD)
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